Box opener and dispenser



5- w. E. NEILSOVNQJR ETII\L 1 7 BOX OPENER AND DISPENSER I Filed July 27, 1943 INVENTORS William EMiZsamJ v Patented Oct. 16, 1945 I g I I} 2,386,877

OFFICE 1 ox OPENER Anntirspnnssi r William Neilson, Jr.) and'Cecil o. Tinkey,

Yosemite National ParnCalif;

Application July 27, 1943, Serial 436,342

4 Claims. (01. sa r) 'Our invention relates to new and useful improvements in devices for opening cardboard containers. f

An important objector our invention is the provision of a device that may be easily applied to a box or carton, and which is uniquely constructed so that, during such application, it will out 'a tongue or section from the top of the carton to provide an opening from which the contents thereof may be poured.

Another object of our invention is the provision of a device of the above mentioned character that includes a hinged flap to cover the opening, the trap being uniquely fo'rmed to redelve the tongue or section as it is cut from the T0032 and to hold the same in fixed association therewith so that the said section will open and close with the flap and be held unobstructedly positioned at all times.

Still another object of our invention is the provision of a device of the above mentioned character that is simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture and eincient and effi'ca'cidll's in the erformance or its duties. 7

Other objects and advantages of our invention will be a parent during the course of the following description.

In the drawing, forming a art ofthis specifieation, wherein like numerals are employed "to designate like parts throughout the same,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a device embodying our inventionand showing the same operativ'ely associated with a conventional card-' board carton, p v

Figure 2 is a Side eIe'vati-on of the device,

Figure 3 is a bottom 'planvie'wof the same,

F'i'gur'e "4 is a top plan "view thereof.

Figure '5 "is a vertical sectional view taken on line 5-45 of Figure '2,

Figure 6 is 'a longitudinal sectional view of our device as it appears when applied to the carton and showing "the htt in the raised position and illustrating the manner in which the flap holds the tongue or section cut from the carton in an unobstructed position, v

Figure 7 is a perspective View of the cutting knife embodying a part of the invention, and

Figure 8 is a side elevation of the device illustrating the manner in which it may be applied to a cardboard container of the type wherein the cardboard forming the same is of a relatively heavy grade.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of our invention, the numeral l0 designates a plate of sheet metal or the like; The plate is of essentially rectangular formation in planand is bent transversely to provide right angularly disposed portions H and I2. The portion ll ;of theplate is provided with an opening it at the juncture of the portions and a flap M is hingedly mounted to the portion l l bordering the edge of the opening remote from the angularly disposed-plate portion l2. The

ortion of the plate to which the flap is hinged is upwardly ofiset or bulged as at l5 for the purposeto -be hereinafter set forth in detail. The

flapls of a width slightly wider than the 'openin 43-which it is adapted tocover and when it is in the closed position ill-ustrated in Figure l the dependingapron I 6 will overlap the portion lZ of the base 10. We have formed the portion [-2 of the plate with a protuberance -I'| and the inner surface of the apron l6 of the flap is provided with a recess I 8 which receives the protuberance when the fiap'is moved to the closed position. The catch thus provided will normally hold the fia-p the closed position but will permit the same to be easily raised by the user of the device A channel shaped knife element [9 is Welded orotherwisefixedly secured-to the bottom side of the plate portion H in "alignment with the opening J3 andvdirec-ted rearwardly of the hinged end of theflap H. The knife element includes a flat base or bottom portion 20 having the side edges 24 and 22 bent angularly outwardly and upwardly therefrom. v Each of the angularly bent portions 2| and 22 of the knife element is provided at the outer end thereof With an angularly bent lip 23 which fits into the bulged por tier-1 15 of the plate and is welded or otherwise fixedly secured therein. The vertical rear edge Zlof the knife element is arranged at the edge of the openin I3 and. the forward edges 25 of the. angularly bent portions .21 and -22 abut against the shoulder 25 provided at the junctureof the offset portion l5 with the main body of the plate. Asbest illustrated in Figure 7, the forward edge of the base or bottom portion of the knife element is formed with forwardly convergent sharpened edges 21 and 28 and the angularly disposed portions 2! and 22 extend rectilinearly forwardly of the edges of the portion 20 so that the receding forward edges 25 thereof will provide essentially sharp points 29 laterally of the point 30 provided at the juncture of the sharpened edges 2! and28.

In using the device the portion of the plate I0 extending forwardly of the knife element is placed on the top 3| of a cardboard carton 32 and slid therealong to move the points 29 and 30 of the knife element into engagement with the front wall 33 of the carton. Attention is directed to the fact that the forward edge of the plate in is curved upwardly as at 34 to prevent this edge of the plate from embedding itself in the carton as the plate is passed thereacross. As the plate is pushed along the: top of the carton the sharp-' ened edges-25,i 21 and 28 of the knife will out through the front wall 33 of the carton and out spaced parallel slots in the top 3l thereof. The);

front wall of the carton, which portion I2 is pro- The portion H of the plate In forwardly of the hinge and the flap I4 is each provided with a rib 40 which holds the plate flap in a substantially elevated position when the device is inverted and placed on a horizontal surface 41. If the depending apron 16 of the flap is moved into abutting engagement with a vertical wall 42 the device will be securely lodged so that the carton 43 may be placed on the portion of the plate 10 extending'forwardly of the knife element and pushed along the plate so that the knife will cut a tongue therefrom in the manner hereinabove described.

As the carton is pushed to a position in proximity to the portion l2 of the plate ill the notched pin vided with notched pins 35 which penetrate the 1.. front wall and hold the plate securely but dev tachably affixed to the carton. As best illustrated in Figure 6, the channel shape of the knife ele-' ment is will provide a passage in which the tongue36'cut from the top of the carton will be received; p

Arranged below and connected tothe flap I4 is a complementary channel member 31. The member 3115 disposed in alignment with the knife 24 and the abutting end 38 thereof is formed with a. longitudinally extending offset lip portion 39 which overlaps the rearward end of the lmife element when the flapis in closed position to'prevent'the tongue 36 from becoming pinched between the knife and the channel element 31 when the flap is opened or closed. By reason of the fact "that the channel member 31 is disposed in alignment with the knife the tongue 36 will be received therein as it is cut from the carton and consequently when theflap is raised in the manner illustrated in Figure fithe portion of the tongue received'within and held by the channel element 31 will be raised therewith whereby to be unobstructedly positioned when the contents of the carton lare poured through the opening I3. Manifestly, when the flap is lowered to the closed position illustratedin Figure l of the drawingfit will close the opening and prevent the contents of the carton from being spilled. "Itmay thus be seen that under normal conditions the application of the deviceto the carton may be easily and expeditiously accomplished.

Itis only necessary to hold lthe carton with one hand andto'slide the portion H of the plate l0 along the top of the cartonin order to cut the tongue 35 from the top. As soon as the pins 35 carried by the depending'portion I2 ofthe plate have entered the front wall of the carton the -'device will be fixedly attached tothe carton and it is only necessary t0 raise the flap [4 to discharge the contents of the carton. The manner in which the flap overlays the plate H! to close the opening 13 will assure proper closing of the opening when the-flap is in the lowered position and' will prevent the contents cf the carton from being spilled regardless of the position of the carton. In Figure 8 we have illustrated the manner inwhich the device may be applied to a carton formed of cardboard of a relatively heavy grade.

- 35 carried thereby will penetrate the front wall of the carton in the manner described to fixedly hold the device applied thereto.

It is to be understood that the form of our invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same and that various changes in the size, shape and arrangement of the parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of our invention or thes'cope of the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, We claim:

A carton opener and dispenser, comprising a plate having an aperture, a cover closing said aperture, a channeled cutting member having horizontal and vertical cutting edges secured to the lower face of the plate, and means carried by the cover for receiving and retaining the cut out portion of the box.

2. A carton opener and dispenser, comprising a plate'having an aperture, a cover closing said aperture, a channeled cutting member having horizontal and vertical cutting edges secured to thelower face of. the plate, a channel member carried by the cover in a plane with the channel cutting member for receiving and retaining the cut out portion of the box.

'3. A carton opener and dispenser, comprising a plate having an aperture, 2. cover closing said aperture, a channel cutting member carried by the lower face of the plate beyond the aperture and having horizontal and vertical inner cutting edges, a channel member carried by the lower face of the cover in a plane with the channel cutting-member, and a stop carried by the plate for engaging the side wall of the box for limiting the inward movement thereof.

4 .1A carton opener and dispenser, comprising a'plate having an aperture, a cover closing said aperture, a channel cutting member carried by 'the lower face of the plate beyond the aperture and having horizontal andvertical inner cutting edges, 9, channel member carried by the lower face of the cover in a plane with thechannel cutting member, and a downwardly extending flange carried by the outer end of the plate adapted to be 

